Hogan "Kid" Bassey MBE MON (3 June 1932 – 26 January 1998) was a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

boxer; he was the first man of Nigerian descent to become a world boxing champion. He was born Okon Asuquo Bassey on the banks of the Cross River

Creek Town Creek Town also known as Obio Oko is a town located in the present-day Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River state of Nigeria.Nair The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist K ...

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...

, Nigeria, and became naturalised British when he moved to the UK, where he spent most of his life in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He took the name Kid Bassey when he turned professional as a boxer. He was managed and trained by Peter Banasko from Liverpool. After winning the British Empire Featherweight title George Biddles bought out Bassey's Contract for £600 which was a big risk at the time. He was then managed and trained by Biddles and Jimmy August.

Boxing career

After 14 contests in Nigeria, Bassey went to

, England, arriving there three days before Christmas 1951. After winning the Empire featherweight championship, he won the WBA world featherweight title by defeating French Algerian Cherif Hamia in Paris on the 24 June 1957. He lost the title to US fighter Davey Moore on 18 March 1959. Other opponents include Billy "Spider" Kelly, Percy Lewis, Tommy Profitt, Sammy McCarthy, Ricardo Moreno, and

Willie Pep Guglielmo Papaleo ( Middletown - September 19, 1922 – November 23, 2006) was an American professional boxer, better known as Willie Pep, who held the World Featherweight championship twice between the years of 1942 and 1950. Papaleo was born ...

Life after boxing

In the 1958 New Year Honours, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) "for services to sport in the Eastern Region, Nigeria". Bassey went on to become a coach in Nigeria, which awarded him the country's highest honour, the

Order of the Niger The Order of the Niger (OON) is the second highest Award, national award in Nigeria. It was instituted in 1963 and is junior to the Order of the Federal Republic, the highest order of merit in the country. Award The two highest honours, the Gr ...

, in 1973. He died on 26 January 1998 at his home in

Apapa Apapa is a Local Government Area in Lagos, Nigeria located to the west of Lagos Island. Apapa contains a number of ports and terminals operated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), including the major port of Lagos State and Lagos Port Co ...

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

Professional boxing record

, - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", 59 Wins (21 knockouts, 38 decisions), 13 Losses (4 knockouts, 9 decisions), 2 Draws , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Loss , 68–13–4 , align=left, Davey Moore , RTD , 11 (15) , 19 August 1959 , align=left, Los Angeles, United States , align=left, , - , Loss , 68–12–4 , align=left, Davey Moore , RTD , 13 (15) , 18 March 1959 , align=left, Los Angeles, United States , align=left, , - , Win , 68–11–4 , align=left, Ernesto Parra , UD , 10 , 13 December 1958 , align=left, Hollywood, United States , , - , Win , 67–11–4 , align=left, Carmelo Costa , UD , 10 , 31 October 1958 , align=left, New York City, United States , , - , Win , 66–11–4 , align=left,

, TKO , 9 , 20 September 1958 , align=left,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , 65–11–4 , align=left, Jules Touan , TKO , 7 , 24 June 1958 , align=left,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 64–11–4 , align=left, Ricardo Moreno , KO , 3 (15) , 1 April 1958 , align=left, Los Angeles, United States , align=left, , - , Win , 63–11–4 , align=left, Jean Pierre Cossemyns , PTS , 10 , 23 January 1958 , align=left,

Liverpool, Merseyside Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 62–11–4 , align=left, Victor Pepeder , PTS , 10 , 7 October 1957 , align=left, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 61–11–4 , align=left, Cherif Hamia , TKO , 10 (15) , 24 June 1957 , align=left, Paris, France , align=left, , - , Win , 60–11–4 , align=left, Miguel Berrios , UD , 12 , 26 April 1957 , align=left,

Washington, District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, United States , align=left, , - , Win , 59–11–4 , align=left, Percy Lewis , PTS , 15 , 1 April 1957 , align=left, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 58–11–4 , align=left, Joao Dos Santos , PTS , 10 , 26 November 1956 , align=left,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 57–11–4 , align=left, Jean Sneyers , TKO , 4 , 26 November 1956 , align=left,

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 57–10–4 , align=left, Alby Tissong , PTS , 8 , 6 September 1956 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 56–10–4 , align=left, Aldo Pravisani , PTS , 8 , 3 May 1956 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 55–10–4 , align=left, Louis Cabo , TKO , 4 , 22 March 1956 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , , - , Win , 54–10–4 , align=left, Jean Sneyers , TKO , 4 , 7 February 1956 , align=left, Harringay, London, United Kingdom , , - , Win , 53–10–4 , align=left, Billy Kelly , KO , 8 , 19 November 1955 , align=left,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 52–10–4 , align=left, Joe Quinn , KO , 1 , 8 October 1955 , align=left,

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 51–10–4 , align=left, Juan Oscar Alvarez , PTS , 10 , 25 August 1955 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 50–10–4 , align=left, Andre Pierson , PTS , 10 , 3 June 1955 , align=left, Manchester, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 49–10–4 , align=left, Marcel Ranvial , KO , 5 , 22 March 1955 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 48–10–4 , align=left, Percy Lewis , PTS , 8 , 31 January 1955 , align=left, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 47–10–4 , align=left, Aime Devisch , PTS , 10 , 29 November 1954 , align=left,

Leeds, Yorkshire Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 46–10–4 , align=left, Harry Ramsden , PTS , 8 , 27 October 1954 , align=left, Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 45–10–4 , align=left, Luis Romero , PTS , 10 , 3 September 1954 , align=left,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 44–10–4 , align=left, Jo Woussem , PTS , 8 , 12 August 1954 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 44–9–4 , align=left, Jacques Legendre , PTS , 10 , 2 July 1954 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 43–9–4 , align=left, Enrico Macale , PTS , 8 , 3 June 1954 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 42–9–4 , align=left, Jean Sneyers , PTS , 10 , 29 April 1954 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 41–9–4 , align=left, Johnny Butterworth , PTS , 10 , 4 March 1954 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 40–9–4 , align=left, Billy Kelly , PTS , 8 , 8 December 1953 , align=left, Harringay, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 40–8–4 , align=left, Sammy McCarthy , PTS , 10 , 6 October 1953 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 39–8–4 , align=left, Juan Oscar Alvarez , PTS , 10 , 7 September 1953 , align=left, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 39–7–4 , align=left, Tommy Higgins , PTS , 8 , 27 August 1953 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 38–7–4 , align=left, Denny Dawson , KO , 4 , 9 July 1953 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 37–7–4 , align=left, Emile Chemama , TKO , 5 , 24 March 1953 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 37–6–4 , align=left, Luis Romero , TKO , 8 , 27 February 1953 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 36–6–4 , align=left, Johnny Haywood , DQ , 3 , 30 January 1953 , align=left, Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 36–5–4 , align=left, Ken Lawrence , TKO , 5 , 20 January 1953 , align=left,

, London, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 35–5–4 , align=left, Jackie Briers , PTS , 10 , 8 January 1953 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 34–5–4 , align=left, Bobby Boland , TKO , 5 , 15 December 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 33–5–4 , align=left, Jean Pierre Cossemyns , PTS , 10 , 8 December 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 33–4–4 , align=left,

Tommy Proffitt Thomas Proffitt (13 July 1927 – 23 March 2023) was an English boxer who competed for Great Britain in the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, wer ...

, TKO , 7 , 14 November 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 32–4–4 , align=left,

, PTS , 8 , 27 October 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 31–4–4 , align=left, Eddie Carson , PTS , 8 , 9 October 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 30–4–4 , align=left, Eddie McCormick , PTS , 8 , 22 September 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 29–4–4 , align=left, Stan Skinless , TKO , 7 , 11 September 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 28–4–4 , align=left, Tommy Higgins , PTS , 8 , 28 August 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 27–4–4 , align=left, Jimmy Cardew , PTS , 8 , 7 August 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 26–4–4 , align=left, Johnny Barclay , KO , 6 , 28 July 1952 , align=left, West Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 25–4–4 , align=left, Ivor Davies , KO , 2 , 23 June 1952 , align=left, West Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 24–4–4 , align=left, Frankie Williams , PTS , 8 , 15 May 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Loss , 24–3–4 , align=left, John Kelly , PTS , 8 , 26 April 1952 , align=left,

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 24–2–4 , align=left, Bobby Boland , KO , 5 , 17 April 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Draw , 23–2–4 , align=left, Glyn Evans , PTS , 8 , 1 April 1952 , align=left,

Hanley, Staffordshire Hanley is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. The town is the main business, commercial and cultural hub o ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 23–2–3 , align=left, Len Shaw , PTS , 8 , 24 March 1952 , align=left,

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 22–2–3 , align=left, Tommy Higgins , PTS , 8 , 5 March 1952 , align=left, Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 21–2–3 , align=left, Peter Fay , PTS , 8 , 19 February 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 20–2–3 , align=left, Ray Hillyard , TKO , 4 , 31 January 1952 , align=left,

, United Kingdom , align=left, , - , Win , 19–2–3 , align=left, Young Spider Neequaye , PTS , 12 , 28 September 1951 , align=left,

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 18–2–3 , align=left, Steve Jeffra , PTS , 12 , 29 August 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Draw , 17–2–3 , align=left, Little Joe , PTS , 10 , Jul 08, 1951 , align=left, Emmy Cinema Theatre, Aba , align=left, , - , Win , 17–2–2 , align=left, Adjetey Sowah , PTS , 10 , 30 May 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 16–2–2 , align=left, Jack Salami , PTS , 8 , 16 May 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 15–2–2 , align=left, Kid Chukudi , TKO , 3 , 4 May 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 14–2–2 , align=left, Dick Turpin , PTS , 6 , 29 January 1951 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 13–2–2 , align=left, Joe Bennett , TKO , 10 (12) , Nov 10, 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 12–2–2 , align=left, Eddie Phillips , PTS , 6 , Oct 06, 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 11–2–2 , align=left, Steve Jeffra , PTS , 12 , 7 July 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Draw , 10–2–2 , align=left, Ogli Tettey , PTS , 12 , 31 May 1950 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 10–2–1 , align=left, Bola Lawal , TKO , 5 (6) , Mar 01, 1950 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , , - , Win , 10–1–1 , align=left, Bob Emmanuel , TKO , 4 (12) , Dec 26, 1949 , align=left, Railway Stadium, Lagos , align=left, , - , Loss , 9–1–1 , align=left, Dick Turpin , DQ , 5 (12) , Nov 28, 1949 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 9–0–1 , align=left, Texas Kid , PTS , 10 , 26 October 1949 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , align=left, , - , Win , 8–0–1 , align=left, Dick Turpin , PTS , 12 , 27 July 1949 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 7–0–1 , align=left, Jack Sala , TKO , 4 (6)) , 27 Jul 1949 , align=left, Royal Hotel, Lagos , , - , Win , 6–0–1 , align=left, Ogli Tettey , PTS , 12 , 28 Mar 1949 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , , - , Win , 5–0–1 , align=left, Jack Sala , TKO , 4 (6) , 31 January 1949 , align=left, African Tennis Club, Lagos , , - , Win , 4–0–1 , align=left, Hurry Kid , KO , 4 (6) , 30 December 1948 , align=left, Lagos , , - , Win , 3–0–1 , align=left, Hurry Kid , PTS , 6 , 29 November 1948 , align=left, Lagos , , - , Draw , 2–0–1 , align=left, Bolo Lawal , PTS , 6 , 26 May 1948 , align=left, Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos , , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Jack Sala , PTS , 6 , 6 February 1948 , align=left, Lagos , , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Jimmy Brown , PTS , 6 , 28 November 1947 , align=left, African Tennis Club, Lagos ,

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

* NYSAC

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

champion (126 lbs) * NBA (WBA) featherweight champion (126 lbs)

''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' featherweight champion (126 lbs)

Regional/International titles

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

champion (112 lbs) * Nigerian

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

champion (118 lbs) *

West African West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ma ...

bantamweight champion (118 lbs) * Commonwealth featherweight champion (126 lbs)

Undisputed titles

* Undisputed featherweight champion

External links

* *https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1957 *https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1958 *https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1959

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassey, Hogan 1932 births 1998 deaths People from Cross River State Nigerian male boxers British male boxers Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People of Efik descent Featherweight boxers World featherweight boxing champions Members of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Order of the Niger Nigerian emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century Nigerian sportsmen